From superyachts to Sounds
New Zealand yacht designer Isaac Burrough grew up exploring the Marlborough Sounds, spending every spare hour fishing, skiing, and tinkering with boats. After a decade in Europe designing for some of the world’s top superyacht studios, he came home in 2020 determined to build a Kiwi boat that carried the finish of a European day cruiser and the grit to handle a southerly rolling up the Sounds.
“I’ve always started with how a boat should feel and look, then worked out how to build it,” he told Boating New Zealand. “I didn’t want to design to the limitations of fabrication.”
That thinking led to EightySix Boats, named for Burrough’s birth year and shaped by his preference for clean, purposeful design.
(Photo 1: Hull One underway in the Marlborough Sounds – note the plumb bow and dry ride.)
Design without compromise
Where many alloy boats start with a welder’s jig, EightySix Boats begins with a designer’s pencil. The result steps well clear of the usual tinny cues with crisp lines, a near-vertical bow, and a stance that would suit a composite build.
“I wanted a boat that didn’t scream ‘tinny’,” says Burrough. “It had to be rugged but refined.”
Hull One showed that the approach worked. Based full-time in the Sounds and used almost daily, it tracks cleanly through chop with a soft, dry ride. With 21 degrees of deadrise and a long waterline, it holds its course in rough water yet stays playful at speed. Owners have pushed it close to 90 km/h with a single Mercury V8, quick enough to show how well alloy performs when the hull shape is carefully considered.
Further development
Hull Two is now in build, refined in almost every area. The floor sits lower, the profile sleeker, and the structure simpler with fewer parts, fewer welds, and less weight. The bow seating has become a full U-lounge, turning the forward section into a genuine social space, while the stern gains more room for dive gear or fishing tackle.
The standout feature is the electric targa top. Raised, it leaves the cockpit open to the breeze; at the push of a button, it lowers to meet the windscreen, creating a sheltered cockpit when the weather turns.
Keeping the tech simple
The helm reflects Burrough’s superyacht background; pared back but fully equipped. A single 12-inch Simrad display replaces traditional gauges, integrating Mercury SmartCraft data and options for joystick control with a bow thruster. Owners can choose Zipwake or Humphree interceptors, underwater lights, and other upgrades, all neatly built in rather than added as afterthoughts.
“Plenty of alloy builders try to make boats look flash with deck foam and cupholders,” says business partner Sam Watts. “We’d rather everything on board earn its place.”
A boat built for Kiwi weekends
EightySix isn’t aimed at the hardcore angler or the overnight cruiser. It’s built for families and friends who love a good day on the water; fishing in the morning, towing a skier after lunch, diving in the afternoon. It’s strong enough to handle a rough Sounds crossing, yet tidy enough to draw attention at the jetty.
The team now includes Watts and Matt Frost, both with deep marine experience, and fabrication has shifted south to tap the Otago and Southland alloy-boat network. Hull Two is due for completion early 2026, with its public debut planned for the Auckland Boat Show.
Burrough sums it up simply:
“We’re building a boat that fits the way New Zealanders actually use the coast; practical, good-looking, and built to last.”
